Not to mention something seriously different from the "official" TL progression...

D.

This thread may contain spoilers - so say what you have spotted

What this little vignette tells me is that TL12+computer networks can achieve full sentience, but that measures are usually put in place to stop such breakouts since they are invariably unstable. Deliberate engineering of stable artificial sentience is still TL16/17 (depends on the TL scale you use) but it can happen unintentionally at lower points on the TL scale.

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The beauty of CT LBB1-3 is that the ref is free to make such decisions for themselves.

The self replicating robots were interesting, high tech but likely from absorbing knowledge from previous encounters. This spawning (correct word?) had not discovered jump drives, but others may have. Would human adventurers or Vargr stand off and maintain an airgap? Or would they try to obtain artefacts...

One possible give away that you might be looking at a self-replicating robot artefact is the layering construction process described, similar to 3d printers. This may leave obvious layering marks in the artefact.

What this little vignette tells me is that TL12+computer networks can achieve full sentience, but that measures are usually put in place to stop such breakouts since they are invariably unstable. Deliberate engineering of stable artificial sentience is still TL16/17 (depends on the TL scale you use) but it can happen unintentionally at lower points on the TL scale.

Much the same, the TL~12 Rogue AI is the most obvious non-Canon TL issue. I had already come up with a similar "explain-away" as you did - though given that I tend to prefer AI's at lower tech levels I'm not sure I'd bother. The other might simply explaining via scale - you can't build AI in human sized units until ~TL16 - which leads to the other somewhat glaring examples...

The not just pseudo-biological robots but the incredibly convincing pseudobiological robots. These seem far more advanced that AB-101...

The universe seems to have lots more TL16+ societies out there than just Daryen and Sabm... (however you spell it). Now, given the MT can get you a planet up to 20 (not sure about T5, never bothered to figure it out) this isn't exactly a surprise, but it still seems at strong odds with the Known Space as presented in the game (vs the book).

Keep in mind guys, in T5 (Mr Millers "Cannon" rule-set) you can have things that are listed at higher TLs at MUCH earlier TLs as prototypes.

That said, there is a LOT more flexibility in the TL progression chart than you might think...

~Cryton

*wince* "Canon" not "Cannon" unless I'm not seeing the joke...

Absolutely, I'm not. But they are also bigger, bulkier, and (implied) not quite as good or as effective.

Re-read the but with the robots, those really, really don't sound like experimental or prototype robots. Especially since they're also running one heck of a program or are also AI.

Personally I like this vision of Known Space that has lots more of "Here There Be Monsters..." at the edges of the maps. For the rogue AI it could even be a Gibsonesque alien transmission that spawned it I suppose.

I think for me it is the lack of surprise that Agent Bland has with each of these that really suggests that such are not exactly uncommon (though arguably rare). They are certainly common enough that the Emperor has no problem with wiping out planetary populations on a semi-regular basis to handle them. Heck, and these are just the ones that the Decider gets to handle - we have no idea what sorts of things the other Agents have handled.

It's a universe that is so currentlydangerous that creating the Agents, with their Imperial Warrants, was deemed a viable and useful method of handling things.

Not exactly the vision I have, well, ever gotten from reading Traveller materials. This actually brings MgT's "vision" much closer to MM's that it originally seemed. "Lost Secrets of the Second Imperium" might not be so far off after all...

Keep in mind guys, in T5 (Mr Millers "Cannon" rule-set) you can have things that are listed at higher TLs at MUCH earlier TLs as prototypes.

And this is the one rule from T5 I will never adopt because that is not the case in the real world.
A better version of this rule is to limit prototype and experimental stuff to one TL, providing certain minimum TL has been achieved for that particular device.

Talking of TLs in the book, the Imperium appears to have military tech a lot sooner than canonical history - jump 6 ships nearly two hundred years prior to achieving TL15

Quote:

That said, there is a LOT more flexibility in the TL progression chart than you might think...

~Cryton

Definitely so if you ignore it or bend it or have special cases or...

__________________
The beauty of CT LBB1-3 is that the ref is free to make such decisions for themselves.